Chapter 84: Luna is a strict woman.
The day after the call with Yume, Noah finished his classes and went straight to the café.
When he arrived, Luna was already waiting for him at the entrance in her waitress uniform.
It consisted of a white shirt, a dark vest, a skirt that fell below the knees, and a clean apron.
Her hair was tied back in a simple style.
Noah stopped when he saw her, and Luna raised an eyebrow.
"What’s wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You’re staring at me."
"It’s just... the uniform looks good on you."
Luna remained silent and then looked away.
"Come in, you arrived two minutes early."
"Is that good?"
"It’s acceptable."
Noah followed her to the back of the establishment, and the manager handed him his uniform.
In his case, it consisted of a white shirt, dark pants, a vest, and an apron similar to the ones the other employees wore.
Noah changed in a small storage room they had prepared temporarily for him, and when he came out, the waitresses stopped talking.
One of them looked him up and down.
"It looks way too good on him."
Another nodded.
"It’s going to be a problem."
Luna appeared behind Noah.
"Get back to work."
They all moved at once, while the manager came out of the office with a notebook.
"Today you won’t be serving alone."
"Understood."
"Luna will teach you the tasks."
Noah looked at Luna.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
The manager seemed satisfied.
"I trust her."
Noah didn’t know if that was supposed to reassure him, but Luna didn’t waste any time, so she took a small notebook and a pen and handed them to him.
"First you’ll learn how to take orders."
"That seems simple."
"Believe me, it isn’t."
"I just have to write down what they want."
"You also have to confirm the table number, any modifications, allergies, drinks, sizes, and the order in which everything will be served."
Noah looked down at the notebook.
"Okay."
Luna pointed to an empty table.
"I’ll be the customer."
She sat down with her back straight, and Noah approached.
"Good afternoon, what would you like to order?"
"A coffee."
"Just that?"
Luna looked at him.
"You already failed."
"What did I do?"
"You didn’t ask for the size, the type of coffee, or if she wanted anything to go with it."
"I understand."
They repeated the exercise, but Noah made another mistake because he didn’t confirm whether Luna wanted sugar, and in the next one he forgot to note the table number. On the fourth try, he wrote down a modification incorrectly.
Luna corrected every error without softening her words.
"You need to pay more attention."
"I am paying attention."
"Not enough."
"Have you always been this demanding?"
"Only when it’s necessary."
"And is it necessary now?"
"Yes."
After that they moved on to the trays, and Luna placed four empty glasses and three plates on one.
"You have to keep it steady."
Noah took the tray with both hands.
"Like this?"
"No."
Luna positioned herself behind him and corrected the placement of his arms.
"One hand underneath and the other free to serve."
Noah tried to do it, but the tray tilted and Luna caught it before the glasses fell.
"That would have been a loss."
"I know."
"And you could have spilled on a customer."
"I know."
"And a wet customer might demand compensation."
"I know that too."
"Then don’t do it."
Noah looked at her.
"Your teaching style isn’t very motivating."
"I don’t need to motivate you, I need you to learn."
Over the next hour, Luna taught him how to carry plates, clear cups, and move between the tables without bumping into other employees.
Every time Noah made a mistake, she stopped him, and every time he did something right, she simply said,
"Acceptable."
Then it was time for the register.
The manager showed them the system, but left Luna to supervise the practice.
Noah learned how to ring up orders, apply discounts, split checks, and hand over receipts, but he made two mistakes calculating change, at which point Luna placed a hand on the edge of the register.
"You can’t get distracted here."
"There were three people talking at the same time."
"And there will be more."
"That doesn’t seem possible."
The café door opened, and six customers came in, but after that another four arrived, and in less than twenty minutes almost every table was occupied.
Noah looked at the dining room.
"Does it always get this full?"
A waitress passed by him with a tray.
"No."
Another spoke from the counter.
"It started when you arrived."
The manager came out of the office and looked at the tables with a satisfied expression.
"Maybe we should extend the hours."
Luna looked at her.
"No."
"I was just thinking."
"Then stop doing that."
Noah began serving tables under Luna’s supervision, but at first the customers asked too many questions.
"Are you new?"
"Yes."
"Will you be working every day?"
"I’m not sure."
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
Noah fell silent, at which point Luna appeared at his side.
"That isn’t part of the order."
The customer smiled.
"I was just making conversation."
"Then make conversation about the menu."
At another table, a young woman handed him a folded piece of paper along with the payment, so Noah was about to put it away without looking, but Luna took it first and opened it.
There was a phone number.
Luna tore the paper into four pieces, and the customer raised her hands.
"I just wanted to be friendly."
"Asking for or giving out personal numbers during work hours is prohibited."
"But he didn’t say no."
"He didn’t have time."
Noah looked at Luna.
"I could have refused it."
"I know."
"Then it wasn’t necessary to destroy it."
"Yes, it was."
The customer seemed to want to argue, but Luna stayed by her side until she left.
Afterward she taught Noah how to clean tables properly.
"First you clear everything."
"I already know that."
"Then you check underneath."
"Under the table?"
"Yes."
Noah bent down and found a small bag.
"What’s this?"
Luna took it carefully.
"A forgotten item."
"Why do I have to check the chairs too?"
"Because some customers leave tracking devices."
Noah straightened up quickly.
"Does that happen?"
"More than it should."
Luna showed him how to recognize strange objects, tampered drinks, and suspicious behavior.
She also explained what he should do if a customer tried to touch him, follow him to the storage room, or wait for him outside the establishment.
"First you step away."
"Okay."
"Then you call me."
"Shouldn’t I call the manager?"
"Her too."
"Then why would I call you first?"
"Because I’ll get there sooner."
Noah decided not to argue.